Without a Smile
by JestaAriadne
Summary: CATSfic. [In response to a challenge from Nemblewhiska!] Rumpelteazer's frustrated and unhappy, and it seems like there's no one she can turn to. Help, however, can come from the most unexpected cats...


Without a Smile

By JestaAriadne

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NOTES: (I know, I know. I write FAR too many notes.)

I actually started writing this to see if I could write something quick, easy, simple etc. And cos I was stuck on my other projects 

It's not the simple little romance I first had in mind; we've ended up with poor Teazer as somewhat of a mixed up teenager, comme moi And this actually turned out different and maybe better than I'd thought.

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To Nemble (who deserves credit for the _original_ couple!): This wasn't originally meant to be the reply to your challenge, but I like it more then I thought I would, so here ya go. Enjoy!

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Disclaimer bla, bla how could I forget? I don't own these characters, but I wrote this story.

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"Ey, Teaza!"

Mungojerrie's voice once again jolted her painfully out of reverie. Her brother had just walked into the old shed and he had a very suspicious grin on his features.

"Ey there," she said, without much enthusiasm.

It didn't seem to dull his one jot. "Guess what?!?"

"What."

"Just _guess _oo's got a date with Bombalurina!"

She sighed, and took up the game. "Erm... lemme see... it was Munkustrap las' week, so, um, Oi reckon Tugger'll want is turn one of these days..." she teased, "Though ac'shly, Pouncival's been flirtin' quoite a bit recently... is it im?"

"No!!" cried Mungo, almost bursting with excitement.

"Well, um, ow bout Plato, unless e's still with Vicki- or was it Lectra? No? Alonzo? Misto? Tumblebrutus? Admetus? Skimble?? 'Sparagus?? _Ol' Deut?? Bustopher???_"

"No, no, all wrong!" Mungo moaned, clearly taking the conversation rather too seriously.

"Oooh! Ooh! I got it!" Teazer squealed in very authentic looking excitement, "I got it!"

"Tha's it, bout toime to," said Mungo, perking up.

"It's Macavity!!!"

Mungo sagged very visibly. "Nooo!"

"Well... Oi don' see oo it could be then! Oi've naimed every single male jellicle Oi can think of!"

"IT'S MEEE, you dimbo!" Mungo yelled, finally giving up.

"You?" asked Teazer in extravagant fake surprise

"Yeah! An' in abou' foive minutes!"

"Oh... well, good luck to ya, yer gonna need it, y'know!"

"Ey!!" Mungo flung a mock punch at his sister. She ducked neatly and then began trying to flatten his haywire headfur.

"Yer such a mess too... Got to toidy yerself up for a gal loike Bomba!"

He tried to wriggle out of the way, unsuccessfully. "Ey, stop it Teaz- OWW! Wha' you do tha' for?"

"Just tryin' to get some of these tangles out. Oi tell ya, ya got a flippin' bird's nest up ere!"

"Oh, Cat..." he moaned. "Now yer soundin' loike Jenny!"

"Course Oi'm not. Now run along, dearie, an' be back in toime fer tea."

Mungo left, shaking his head.

Rumpelteazer stretched and lay down, letting her smile fade. She'd played the fool quite well just then... _Whassa matter Teaza? _she asked herself, _Congratulate yerself and cheer up! Always cheerful ain't ya? Always playin' the fool. _She dragged her claws along the ground bitterly. Mungo and Bomba? That wasn't exactly likely to last long... _Bomba's nevva stayed with anyone longer'n a couple months! _But then... _maiybe she's just got a reputation te maintain- whether she wants to or not... Loike me. Maiybe she's a bit loike me._

* * * * *

Coricopat walked aimlessly around the junkyard. He was convincing himself that he had NOT been eavesdropping. He had just been... observing, as always. _Not that it matters if I WAS eavesdropping. I seem to be invisible and non-existent as far as anyone else is concerned. _It had hurt him when, in Teazer's list of every male jellicle she could think of, his name had not appeared. _I'm not here as far as they're concerned. I'm nothing._

He felt Tantomile approaching from behind him and they greeted each other silently.

Then: "What's hurting, Rico?"

He smiled at his twin. Respectful as always, she had not just invaded the privacy of his mind to find out.

"Nothing," he sighed, "absolutely nothing."

* * * * *

The half moon was high in the clear sky when Rumpelteazer, out of sheer boredom and sickness of her own thoughts, decided on a whim to go for a walk.

Instead of heading towards the centre of the junkyard where many of the other jellicles would be gathering to talk and laugh, she turned her paws the opposite way. As she spied the broken door in the chicken wire fence she thought, _Wot if Oi just keep on walkin'? Keep goin' till Oi get too tired an' then Oi'll stop an' rest and then keep goin'? Wonder oo they'd foind to laugh at then?_

The thought made her stop. _Cat, Oi'm so confused..._ Did she seriously want to leave? Nothing's ever that bad... and of course running away never solves anything... _Oo says tha' anyway? _she scowled to herself,_ Oi wonder if they'd be so sure if they knew ow it felt t'be a clown you've outgrown an' avin' to oide from everyone what yer really loike an' not even knowin' yerself... jus' wishin' someone'd give you a chance an' - take you seriously fer once. An' there's no one ere fer me. _

It can't be that bad... There was a long time when she'd known she'd enjoyed life and always joking and playing was great. It had changed. Recently - since when?- she'd just not felt happy, but she hardly knew how to cry and no one expected anything other than laughs and a cheerful face. When had it all changed? _Can' ave been tha' long ago... Eaviside, WHOI did it all change? Oi was appy, wasn' Oi? An' now... _Just a recent change then? Probably wouldn't last long. Probably just another unbalanced kitten given to those disruptive mood swings and petty tantrums. _Oi'll "get over" it soon, won't Oi? A gal loike me can't possibly ave a serious problem._

The gate creaked as a blast of wind flung it half-open. Inviting her. _Do Oi 'ave to make a choice now? _She was shaking with terrible excitement and swallowed hard to try and control her breathing. She was scared, almost petrified where she stood. _Oi can't make my loife in a few seconds! Oi don't know what to do_

Don't think about it. If she couldn't work out her life in long hours of brooding, how could she in these few precious moments? _Oi've just gotta go- either waiy. Now._

Rumpelteazer ran. Giddy, high on terror and confusion, she sprinted towards the way out-

-and tripped.

"I'm sorry!" came a startled tom's voice. "Are you alright?"

She recognized it as Coricopat's. "Yup, Oi'm foine!" she said fiercely, dragging herself to her feet. "An' you can go 'ave a good laugh naow. Teazer fell splat on 'er face an' weren't it funny."

"What? Are you alright?" he asked again.

Whatever force or madness or whatever had hurled her desperate form through the night had dropped her now. Teazer frowned and tried to think straight.

"Oi'm 'onestly not sure," she muttered, staring intently straight ahead.

"What were you saying?" Coricopat probed, "I wasn't going to laugh at you, you know." _If only because I never do anything at all, at least nothing anyone ever notices._

"No, Oi don't know. Oi thought ya would. Cats always laugh at me."

Coricopat sat down next to her awkwardly. "We laugh 'cos you're funny," he said lamely, "I'd never laugh at anyone falling or getting hurt. You say funny things and-" he shifted position and tried to work out what he was saying, "I like that about you, it's good to make people laugh."

"But Oi don't wanna be funny all the toime!" Teazer moaned, gritting her teeth as she bent her bruised leg, "Tha's all Oi can ever do, but it's not all Oi am! Cos Oi don't feel 'appy naow an' it feels worse 'avin' to pretend to make you all 'appy so ya don't worry 'bout me an'- Oh Cat, Oi jus' don't know wha' Oi really feel an' Oi 'ate it i's so confusin'"

Coricopat looked from her forlorn face up to the moon for a moment as he sought for words. _I'm not exactly eloquent, am I? And this is when it could make a difference_

"I know, I know" he began as comfortingly as he could, before he realised, "No- I don't really know how you feel. But- I know what it's like to be trapped in a reputation, or the lack of one, and not ever being able to show yourself to anyone, because don't know you. Or because they hardly know you exist at all"

Teazer actually looked at him. "Tha's you, ain't it? Ya know summat, Oi really don' know you a' all. An' you don't know me- but maiybe we- know each other as well as anyone else does, ya think?" Wide green eyes; puzzled, pleading - and pretty - seemed to search his soul for the answer.

"Yeah," Coricopat sounded very surprised, even to his own ears, "I think you're right. And if we don't- well, I'd like to learn more about you."

"Me too," Teazer said, the she laughed. "Well, Oi meant I'd wanna learn bout you, but ac'shly, if Oi could puzzle meself ou' that'd be quoite summat too."

"Good to hear you laugh again," said Coricopat, smiling himself. And then he thoughtlessly added, "Doesn't seem like you without a smile."

Rumpelteazer crumpled again. "Doesn't, does it? Oi've always gotta laugh an' be stupid cos it's so funny."

__

Idiot! Coricopat cursed himself, _Why did I have to go and mess up now? _Aloud he said, "I'm sorry- I didn't mean it like that. And you don't have to be stupid to be funny, you know that. You're one of the smartest cats I know."

"But ya don' exac'ly know me very well, do ya?"

"And I still say you are."

"Thanks, Oi guess..." the fur on her brow creased as she thought hard. Then she flung up a paw in frustration, "Oh, just look a' me, Oi'm being so self-cen'ered again, ain't Oi? Wha' bout you?"

"What _about_ me?"

"What do you want? Whoi did ya come ou' ere anywaiy?"

"Just came to be alone and think a bit."

"Well, sorry... you're not exac'ly alone anymore."

"I'm glad!" Coricopat cried recklessly, "Listen, talking helps sort things out doesn't it? Or at least start to. Sometimes, I don't think long-term brooding is the answer."

Rumpelteazer grinned. "Guess not." _An' neither's runnin' awaiy. _

"Are you alright now?"

"You asked me tha' before," she pointed out.

"Yeah, I did, didn't I? Well, what's the answer now?"

Teazer tipped her head on one side and feigned careful consideration. "Um... hmmm.... lessee... well, yeah! Things are definitely improving, Oi think."

"Good. Me too. Want to head back now? Tant said she'd get me a mouse or something, we could share if you want..."

"Yeah. Tha's a good oidea."

They stood up and walked towards the centre of the junkyard. Behind them, the disappointed gate creaked petulantly on un-oiled hinges.

* * * * *

"Ey Mungo!" Teazer greeted her brother with a lot more cheerfulness than earlier that day. "Ow'd the date go?"

"Not bad, not bad at all..." Once again, his grin was decidedly suspicious. "Oi'm seein' er again tomorra!"

"Tha' good, ey?"

"Tha' good," Then he looked at Coricopat and that smile became suddenly more sly, "Met someone special, Teaz?"

Rumpelteazer could feel heat rushing to her face. "Oh- ey Mungo! We was just talkin'-" She looked at the grey and brown tom next to her. He raised his eyebrows and grinned as if to say "Well?"

Teazer grinned too. "Well- maiybe Oi ave then."

"Good fer you," said Mungo. "Ere, d'you wanna come out with me'n Bomba tomorra? Make it a double date?"

"Mungo!!" Teazer yelled, then sobered. "Well, ow abou' it then, Rico? Whadya think?"

"I think..." he paused for dramatic effect, "I think it sounds like a very good idea indeed."

* * * * *

__

Mungo & Bomba... thought Teazer as she settled down for a mid-morning nap, _Oo'd ave thought it? But then, oo'd ave thought of Teazer & Coricopat? _She shrugged and stretched. _Well, ooever it was... Thanks a bunch, mate!_

THE END

Erm, PS. I am aware this is set in a very strange alternate universe where Mungo & Teazer are actually brother and sister. I normally think they're mates. But this was certainly interesting.


End file.
